FIFA chief says he'd back Qatar World Cup re-vote if shocking new allegations of bribery and bungs are proven

JIM BOYCE, vice-president of world football's governing body, was speaking after an investigation uncovered millions of documents showing secret payments from Qatar's top football official to influential figures.

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce would be in favour of re-running the vote for the 2022 World Cup if allegations that widespread corruption was involved in the Qatar bid were proven.

The Sunday Times has claimed that it had received "hundreds of millions" of documents which allegedly revealed that disgraced former FIFA executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam had made payments to football officials in return for votes for Qatar.

Boyce, who was not on the executive committee on the world governing body at the time of the vote, said FIFA's chief investigator Michael Garcia, who is already looking into allegations of corruption, would have to widen his investigation.

Boyce told Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme: "As a member currently of the FIFA executive committee, we feel that any evidence whatsoever that people involved were bribed to do a certain vote, all that evidence should go to Michael Garcia, whom FIFA have given full authority to, and let's await the report that comes back from Garcia.

"If Garcia's report comes up and his recommendations are that wrongdoing happened for that vote for the 2022 World Cup, I certainly as a member of the executive co would have absolutely no problem whatsoever if the recommendation was for a re-vote.

"If Garcia comes up with concrete evidence and concrete evidence is given to the executive committee and to FIFA then it has to be looked at very seriously at that time, there's no doubt about that."

The Sunday Times alleged Bin Hammam, also the former Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president who was banned for life from football administration by the FIFA ethics committee, had made payments into accounts controlled by the presidents of 30 African football associations and accounts controlled by the Trinidadian Jack Warner, a former vice-president of FIFA.

Boyce, who said he had not had the chance to read the Sunday Times report, feels Garcia's investigation should not be hurried.

He said: "The man has got to be given full control to do that investigation thoroughly and if it takes more time to do that investigation thoroughly so be it.

"I have not met Garcia, but I'm told he's a man of the very, very highest calibre and I'm told he's someone who will not shirk the responsibilities that he has been given. I certainly hope that's going to be the situation."

Boyce pointed out that 50 percent of the executive committee members at the time of the 2022 vote had since left the governing body.

The Northern Irishman also insisted FIFA president Sepp Blatter's position should not be called into question by the allegations.

He said: "From the day that I became a member of the executive committee and from the day that Sepp Blatter announced that he wanted to see complete and utter reforms carried out by FIFA, he has led these investigations and he has led a lot of the reforms that were badly needed at FIFA that are now being carried out.

"There is no suggestion whatsoever that he was involved in any wrongdoing.

"When Garcia's report comes back to him, as president of FIFA he has to give leadership.

"There are people in authority who are not aware of things that go on regarding other individuals and if he personally wasn't involved in this I don't think there's any reason whatsoever for him to resign.

"He is still the president of FIFA and I'm sure he, like the rest of the decent people and the people who are involved in FIFA, are awaiting with great interest Mr Garcia's report."

The Sunday Times said the official Qatar bid committee had always insisted Bin Hammam was an entirely separate individual who had nothing to do with the campaign to bring the World Cup to Doha.

But a senior politician called for a full and transparent investigation into how the 2022 World Cup was awarded to Qatar.

John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said on Sunday: "My committee examined allegations two years ago that there had been corrupt payments involved in the decision, and we called for a full, transparent investigation. However, since then, FIFA have attempted to brush off the allegations and not taken them anything like sufficiently seriously.

"If these revelations in the Sunday Times prove to be correct they are obviously extremely serious.

"There does need to be an urgent and full transparent investigation to establish the facts."

Whittingdale argued Blatter's position was "almost untenable" as he had been very dismissive of the allegations over the past couple of years and did not appear to have taken them seriously.

He added: "There have already been serious doubts raised about the capability of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup on football grounds. If the choice of Qatar was as a result of improper payments being made, then that strengthens an already strong case for re-running the whole 2022 contest."

Pressure on Qatar over World Cup slaves

Qatar has come under pressure to name the date it will free its World Cup slaves.

Officials last month said they are getting rid of the country’s controversial kafala system.

Their pledge came weeks after the Sunday Mail exposed the shocking conditions endured by migrant workers in Qatar.

The Sunday Mail went to the country last month with Labour’s shadow ­international development secretary Jim Murphy to probe the abuse of migrants working on the preparations for the 2022 World Cup.

Our story, which was ­followed up by the ­Washington Post, heaped pressure on Qatar and Fifa to end the suffering of employees building roads, hotels and stadiums.

Murphy said: “When I went to Qatar, I had talks with the man in charge of the entire World Cup organisation there, Hassan Al Thawadi.

“We debated how things must change to save World Cup workers lives. But the clock is now ticking.

“Qatar must announce its timetable for change before a ball is kicked in Brazil.”

A Qatar 2022 committee spokesman said: “We are fully aware of the challenges we face as the State is preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“While this process of change is not something that can be achieved overnight, we have the will to see it through.”